With medical marijuana legal in all but a few states now, we are seeing more of it readily available. We’re also seeing CBD oil that is extracted from industrialized hemp in all fifty states due to the low or no amount of THC in them, depending on the type of CBD product.

While these products are helping humans with hundreds of conditions, are they potentially the next big advancement in helping animals as well?

Can Animals Use Cannabis?

This is a qualified answer. Some cannabis is safe for animals. To explain this in greater detail, we’ll start by talking about the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the body. You have one, your dog has one, your cat has one, and even the snake you might keep in a tank that your aunt is terrified of, also has one.

When a cannabinoid is introduced to the body from a plant, it seeks the ECS and immediately interacts with it. Some cannabinoids act to antagonize the system, some suppress the production of enzymes or other systems to manipulate the system into producing more or less of other cannabinoids on its own. Other cannabinoids, like CBD and THC, can bind directly with receptors of the ECS and create an impact within minutes.

The caveat to this is that THC binds only with one type of receptor that is located in the brain, CB1 receptors. This is true in both humans and animals. This is why THC makes humans high. Unfortunately, for animals, this is dangerous as they do not metabolize the THC out fast enough and they may suffer from THC toxicity which can be very harmful, if not fatal.

CBD, however, binds with receptors outside of the brain, called the CB2 receptors. CBD is not a psychoactive compound as THC is, therefore it has no potential harmful impact on animals. This means that CBD from hemp is great for them, but marijuana products that contain THC are not. In fact, it is best to buy CBD that is purely CBD and contains 0% THC. Some CBD oils can contain up to .03% THC which could build over time in the animal brain, so taking the risk is not advised.

Should Animals Use Cannabis?

There are CBD products made exclusively for them which are guaranteed to be safe by Innovet Pet. They have treats, oils, capsules, and more products that are all safe for all of your animals, not just dogs. You can even get hemp treats for horses now. Hemp is a natural fiber that is filled with good Omega oils that promote health and the immune system becomes supercharged from Omega oils.

Every single part of the hemp plant can be used. There’s no waste when this plant is grown. The seeds can be eaten, the flowering buds are being utilized for humans to smoke as weed that isn’t high in THC, and the fibers can be used for textiles. Clothing companies are developing jeans from hemp fiber.

There are big positive impacts to the world when hemp is grown in place of trees for paper or cotton for clothing. Even in the days of the Jamestown Colony in America, hemp was the fiber used for ship sails and ropes. Hemp could be eaten and if you eat marijuana plants raw, the THC is never activated and you will not get high either.

The THC is activated and created through heating, a process called decarboxylation. This is why weed is smoked or baked. Somewhere along the line, it was learned that when marijuana is heated, it gets people high. Then it became the way it was used. The THC is very necessary for some forms of pain. It’s used, for example, to help with severe pain being suffered by those with cancer who are enduring chemotherapy treatments.

For pets, however, THC has no added value and could cause harm. Please, don’t use marijuana products and tinctures that contain THC for your pets. Only purchase from a store that has reliable products, made exclusively for pets. The dosage will be right and the product will be formulated so that it is safe. Do not take chances with products that are not labeled or that do not come from a reliable source.

InnovetPet has a reputation for being the best when it comes to cannabis pet products that you can depend on. You need to know that your oils are sourced from safe sources as well. The farms where your cannabis is being grown are very important.

If the soil is contaminated, so is your hemp. The USDA oversees hemp farmers in the United States and they must all apply to be licensed growers. Cannabis easily absorbs everything from the soil it is grown it. Therefore, you want products that are tested and guaranteed to be free of harmful toxins and contaminants like lead.

For your pet, you also need assurance that there is not a trace of THC in your product. Only reliable companies will provide third party testing results to you. Third party testing shows you what exactly is in your oil and in what percentage. You’ll be able to see other cannabinoids if they are present. THC is the only one you need to be worried about. If there are contaminants, it will show as a “fail” on the test and for which ones.

Learn as much as you can about what should and should not be in your products and only buy from reputable sources like InnovetPet.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how well it assists with general pain, seizure reduction, reduction of inflammation, and anxiety in pets. Start with a low dose and gradually get your pet used to it and increase the dose slowly, until you note they are responding well to it and pain or inflammation seems to trouble them less. For seizures, it typically doesn’t take much oil and sometimes less is more when it comes to seizure activity.